Strawberry-runner cutter.



M. E.l TUGKER. STRAWBERRY RUNNER GUTTER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 3, 1911.

Patented June l?, 1913.

[NI/ENTOR MazrgE. Til/75er WVITNESSES l l T1 il MARY TUCKER, OF SWEET, IDAHO.

STRAWBERRY-RUNNER GUTTER.

Speciicat'ion of Letters Patent. Patented J 11110 17', -1913.

kApplication iled November 3. 19,11. Seria'lNo. 658,396.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I', MARr El Tuoinmf citizen lof 'the UnitedStates, residing 4at Sweet, in the county ofBoise 4and State of idaho, have invented new and useful Im' provernents in Strawberry-Runner Cutters, oit which the following is a-specitication.

This invention relates to garden imple! ments, and more particularlyl to trimmers for running .strawberry vines, and the like. It has for an objectto provide a device usable lto trim the plants all around a cen-. tral root at one operation, but. which may bel `arranged to trim' them only`on two sides at f. such times as that'treatmentxis advisable,

whereby the proximal runners of plants in a given line will be left to'intermingle and l a continuous row offoliagfe.

CLD

view showing the attachment of the blades,

lt is-also an object to present a trimiierv of such construction that the desired degree 4of trimming of a `plant will be etliciently performed in one stroke of the implement, without likelihood that unevenness in the ground surface around the plant will prevent its complete operation.

A. further object is to present an economical construction of such a device, involving iew operations in manufact-ure, and these of simple nature and also which construction involves .the use of readilyd available'material not requiring special type of machineryT its production.

@ther objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description and I from the drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side view of the devicein operation showing an obstructing clod of earth engaging one ofv the blades adjacent 'one side. .Fig Q'is a bottom view of the device, Fig.. 3 'is a fragmentary sectional Fig. if is a side view showing two blades detached for row trimming, Fig.. 5 is a modification of handle construction. t

There is illustrated a trimmer comprising a handle shank 10, comprising two strands of heavy wire or metal rod material `bent in 'parallel at their middle portions to form the loops 11, commonly engaged at their central portions through the tubular handle 12. As it is undesirable for the handle of such a device to rotate,.the handle is provided at each'end with notches 13 on one side of its axis, 'the side portions of 'the wire loops being disposedl snugly therein. The end portions of the wires are twisted spirally together forming a heavy shank of. about the length of the handle shank-of a spade, and` at the lower end of this are curved radially outward i and extended downwardly forming arms their outer ends directedy vertically downwardly some dis.-

tance and shaped into eyes for Ythe recep tion of bolts 1G securing the arms to blades 18 and 17. The blades are inthe form of cylinder segments'having abutting ends and disposed concentrically of a vertical axis coincident with that of the shank 10. The

lower edges of the blades are sharpened and' disposed normally in a common plane atright angles to the axis mentioned. .When all the blades are in l.place an approximately continuous circular cutting edge is thus presented.

Two diametricallyopposed blades 18 are secured pivotally'to a heavy annular guide frame or ring 19, by-meansof bolts 20 having enlargedouterportions engaged revo-l lubly through the ring and provided wit-h suitable heads 20 engaging against the outer .face of the ring. The blades are secured firmly to' the reduced portions .21 of the bolts and against respective arms 14 through the eyes of which the reduced portions of the bolts project,.inwardly of the blades, by means of bolt nuts 22. The ring 19 is thus held loosely between the blade and bolt head. v The intermediate blades 17 are engaged in a similar manner with the vertically slidable guide blocks 23 slidable in respective vertical slots 24 in the ring 19 at opposite points. The blocks are T-shaped in horizont-al section and the heads of the bolts 16 securing the" blades theretov engage against their outer surfaces. It will be apparent that the blades 17 are movable vertically with respect to the ring 19,l as well as pivot-v ally. The ring 19 and blades may together be termed a work head carried by the handle.

In use, it will be apparent that the blades will be held yieldably in position 'withitheir cutting edges in a horizontalplane, and when it is desired to trim the runners of a plant, the trimmer is positioned axially abover the head stalk of the plant, vand brought forcibly downward until the .knives strike the runners, bearing them against thel ground surface and cutting them oft'. It is preferable the sides of the furrow or row. Thus, by reason ofthe resiliency of the arms 14, if the lniives 18 engage a high portion of the ioo thatthe blades 17 be disposed at performing their viunction at furrow they may be borne slightly upward, While the Weight of the ring i9 and the Weight ot the blades 1S will carry the latter downward bending the supporting arms of the blades 17 slightly, until they engage the runners on the side ot 'the furrow. The resiliency of the arms 14 also allows each knife to accommodate itself to a ground sur- Jface inclined with r vect to their edges, so that one end may extendk lower than the other it necessary. To facilitate this action the end edges may be rounded inward from their cutting edges, it desired as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. l. `Such movement of the blades might not be required Where the ground is Well cultivated and soft, but Where the surface has hardened somewhat or the earth become packed, .the action provided for is of great value.

When cutting completelyv around plants planted along a iurreiv or elongated hill, it will of course be apparent that the knives ope ating between the plants in the row ivill engage a round surface of higher elevation than xv l those knives operating on the sides of the roW, and it is very desirable that 'the knives be not prevented from the sides by being held too high. ln Fig. 5 there 1s shown a modification ot the handle construction in which' a solid "Wooden handle 8O is provided, having a grip l. A device et the class described, com

prising 'a vertical handle, a plurality of radial arms carried thereby, an annular head carried thereby including a plurality of concentric trimming blades, certain of the blades being removable to form opposed. openings -to receive plant portions Without cutting thereof, for the formation of a rowot foliage as described.

In a garden implement of the class described, a handle formed of a plurality oi metal strands bent angularly at their middle parts tol form aliandle loop, their intermediate end -portions beir intertwined to form a rigid handle shank,

Iheir outer end portions being extended laterally and divergently for resilient movement longitxe dinally oi' the shank, and an annular iri eimer device including blade sections carried respectively on the extremities of the arms.

3. A trimmer comprising a handle, a plurality of resilient metal strands carried thereby having their outer end portions curved outwardly and then downwardly in respective radial Vplanes to form resilient arms, and a trimmer device carried at their extremities comprising an annnlus, bolt elements movabletherein and blade sections secured to the bolts and arms.

il. A trimmer comprising a handle, a-plurality of resilient radialarms carried at ythe lower end thereof, the arms having` apertured end portions, an annulus, bolts caried by certain ot the arms engaeed through the annulus and concentric blade members secured pivotally lto the annulus by the bolts.

A trimmer ccunprisin'gg` a handle, a. plurality of resilient metal strands carried thereby having their outer end portions curved outwardly and then doivniardly in. respective radial planes, an annulus, bolt members movabletherein and engaged with the arms, blade sections secured to the bolts and arms, certain of said bolts being pivoted in the annulus, the annulus having vertical slots intermediately of the pivoted bolts, otherof said-bolts beingl slidably held in the slots.

6. A device of the class described'coniprising a haudlelhaving a plurality of radial resilient arms, 'an annulus carried thereby,- concei'itrieally arranged cutter blades carried by respective arms, certain oit the blades at opposed sides oi' the annulus l ,ing secured pivot-ally thereto and rigidly :to resoective arms, certain vinlerinediate blades being` engaged pivotally and vertically slidable on the annulus and connected rigidly to respcctivearms, whereby the blades Will be lieldnormally with their cutting' edges in a common plane yieldably for adaptation to inclinations of a ground surface as described. y

In testimony whereof have hereunto set my hand in presence et two subscribing Witnesses.

lillfiRY E. TUCKER. litnesses ll/lrs. Weiz Tanner, l/VM. Trimar? 

